


Somebody Save Me

by capirony



Category: The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Cutting, Drabble, M/M, Steve is broken, Steve lost his family, TW: cutting, Tony makes things better, bathing together, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-13
Updated: 2013-01-13
Packaged: 2017-11-25 08:55:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/637198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capirony/pseuds/capirony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve has problems and might be a little broken. It's a good thing Tony knows how to fix things, even though people isn't really his forte. </p><p>  <em>"Paper cut. It's all good." The amount of blood and the size of the cut made that very unlikely.</em></p><p>  <em>Tony grumbled. Cursing himself and making a show of how disappointed he was, he meets Steve at the sink, trying to get actual eye contact, but Steve is obviously having none of that. He looks away, his beautiful blue eyes finding the floor more interesting than Tony's face. Ouch. "Tell me it was just that. Nothing more." He was serious.</em></p><p>  <em>They've had this sort of talk before.</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	Somebody Save Me

They're sitting in class, listening to the most boring English lesson ever when Steve suddenly cries out from behind him. It's a soft little "ah" sound, a little more anguish and surprise than absolute sadness, but it's still a cry and it makes the hairs on Tony's neck stand on end. He's looking over his shoulder the instant it happens and the first thing he sees is red. His breath catches in his throat and he can only stare. 

"Is something wrong, Mr. Rogers?" The teacher asks politely, asking the question that's on everyone's mind. 

"I need to go to the bathroom." Steve says blankly, making eye contact with Tony for a mere moment before abruptly standing up and rushing out of the room. Tony turns around slowly and looks at the teacher.

They stare at each other for a moment, the snickers about Steve's exit far in the back of Tony's mind. "I'm going to go help him."

Then he's up and rushing off too. He can hear the class laughing and he doesn't care. Steve is hurt and he needs to help him. They're best friends, it's what they do, yeah?

Yeah.

He gets to the nearest bathroom and finds Steve staring at himself in the mirror, his hand under a stream of water. The water flowing off his hand is a pale orange colour. Tony's stomach churns.

"Steve?"

"Tony." 

They make eye contact in the mirror and Tony shouldn't find it hot, but he does, damn his horny teenage mind. He tries to ignore the way his heart stutters. "What the hell?" 

"Paper cut. It's all good." The amount of blood and the size of the cut made that very unlikely.

Tony grumbled. Cursing himself and making a show of how disappointed he is, he meets Steve at the sink, trying to get actual eye contact, but Steve is obviously having none of that shit. He looks away, his beautiful blue eyes finding the floor more interesting than Tony's face. Ouch. "Tell me it was just that. Nothing more." He was serious.

They've had this talk before.

Back when Steve's mom died, a year and four months after Steve's dad had gone missing out in Afghanistan, Steve told Tony he had considered cutting. At the time, Tony didn't know what to think, what to do, how to react. He had just exploded and told Steve how stupid that was and how it would hurt him more than help him and how much of an idiot he'd been for doing that. It resulted in Tony saving Steve from himself, though, as Steve took Tony's blowout very seriously and hadn't cut since.

Steve hadn't answered his question, instead opting to stare blankly at the floor.

It was a whisper when Tony suddenly spoke, one hand gripping Steve's muscled bicep firmly, "What happened?"

Steve shrugged and Tony could see the tears welling up in his eyes. He had the sudden urge to hold the taller boy, to soothe him with words and actions, to make it all better. He wanted to kiss the pain away but he couldn't. 

Tony rubbed circles into Steve's clothed skin, soothing him at the same time as trying to get him to open up. "Steve." 

"It's just so hard," Steve whispered, his voice more than a little shaky, his arm trembling beneath Tony's fingers. 

"What's hard?" 

" _Everything._ "

And then he looked up at Tony with such sadness that Tony felt the wind being punched out of him. Just by his eyes. "Steve." His voice broke and he gathered his friend up in a hug, the running water forgotten. The hand with the cut sitting limply on the edge of the sink. Steve wrapped himself, save for his injured hand, around Tony, holding onto him so tight, like he was trying so hard not to cry. 

Like Tony would be able to fix it. Again.

"We're going home." Tony murmured into Steve's shoulder. 

Steve just nodded against him, surprising Tony. Steve wasn't one to miss school deliberately, but apparently right now was different. Tony pushed away from him a little, reaching down into his pants pocket and pulling out his keys. He shoved them into Steve's good hand before using paper towel to wrap up the other one. "You're going to go to the nurse, get this bandaged, and then go out to my car and wait for me," Tony said, giving Steve his best stern look, "I'm going to go get our stuff from class and then check out at the office." He pushed away after Steve nodded, his face pink and blotchy from the effort of not crying. Or from just being worn out. "And if the nurse asks what happened, you tell her it's none of her goddam business."

Steve smiled at that. A broken little curve of the lips that made Tony want to kiss him and never stop. He got that feeling a lot around Steve but never acted on it because that would ruin their friendship and Tony just couldn't do that. "Alright." He whispered, giving Tony a wider broken smile before heading out of the bathroom. Tony looked down at the sink, noting the damn blood colour that now coated the once immaculate white and washed it out before he left.

\-----

Tony got into his car after tossing their bags in the back. The secretary wouldn't have none of his bullshit, but he said something about family emergency and she let them go. Tony Stark was good at what he did. 

He took in Steve's sleeping figure as he pulled out of the parking lot. He was slumped against the window, arms crossed over his chest in a defensive manner, his dark hoodie pulled over his eyes casting shadows and making the black smudges under his eyes to look darker. It broke Tony's heart. But he couldn't stare any longer; he focused on the road.

After Steve lost his family, instead of being put with foster family he ended up staying with Tony. Steve had no close family and he was seventeen; he could do what he wanted. He didn't have to be put into the system. So, he was Tony's. Well, sort of. Tony wouldn't go so far as to say he was his but he still felt like Steve was his responsibility and priority. He would always be Tony's priority. 

They got home and Steve was still asleep. Tony sat back and watched him for another moment, the paleness of his skin, the way his hair seemed lifeless and slack, his clothing dark and uninviting. Tony could remember when Steve liked colours. He wanted Steve like that again.

He had only been acting this way recently, like something was bugging at him and he could only succumb to the torment. Like he was unable to fight it. 

He placed a gentle hand on Steve's shoulder, softly rubbing as he said in a soothing voice, "Come on, Steve, time to wake up." 

He didn't wake up immediately, which scared Tony. What if Steve had been dead the whole time? He felt like vomiting at that thought so he happily shoved it away when Steve stirred, laughing at himself inwardly, nervously, at the thought of him jumping right to the conclusion of death first. With some more words, he woke, eyes bleary and definitely sleepy. "Let's go inside, yeah?"

"Yeah." Steve responded groggily, getting out of the car the same time Tony did. Tony got their school bags and followed Steve inside, albeit fumbling the whole way. Steve looked about ready to collapse, but he was filthy, and if Tony was aiming for making Steve feel better a bath was in order. 

"Nope," Tony said playfully as Steve hobbled towards his room, "Bath. Now." 

"No." Steve said. He turned and glared at Tony, though Tony could tell by now that Steve didn't mean it. Not really. Tony smiled and broke through Steve's fake anger as Steve returned the smile before shyly looking away. "Okay." 

"See, I knew you'd come around." 

Steve laughed, the sound still as pleasant to Tony's ears but retaining that anguished and sullen undertone of earlier making Tony's heart burn. 

He led the other boy to the bathroom, ordering him to strip while he started the tub. He didn't really expect Steve to, though, and when he turned around to a face full of nakedness he just about jumped right out of his own skin. Steve looked so hopelessly sad though and Tony could think about him that way. Think about leading him to a bed instead of leaving him to a bath, about whispering sweet assurances to his naked skin as he showed him how loved he was instead of telling him it would get better and leaving it at that.

Even if he loved Steve, Steve would love him. That stuff just doesn't happen to Starks.

The tub was filling behind him and all he could do was stare at Steve, unaware that Steve was staring back. The tub was one of those old ones with the curly legs and everything, all white and porcelain-esque. It was just a standard bath, no bubbles or anything special to occupy his time and mind with, and Tony was beginning to regret turning around so fast. He was at a loss for words as his eyes made their way up to Steve's and they locked in. 

Steve walked towards him, arms slowly circling around Tony, and Tony swore Steve could hear his heartbeat it was beating so hard. Steve's hands trailed from Tony's back, around his waist, gently resting on the hem of his pants, nimble fingers popping the button of his jeans before zipping down the zipper. Steve's breath was on Tony's ear and it was warm and damp and fuck-- what was happening? Was Tony dreaming? He must have fallen asleep during English class. That was probable. That was actually entirely possible.

Steve changed his direction, pulling on the hem of Tony's shirt, tugging it upwards. Tony complied, raising his arms as Steve pulled it off of him. His brain seemed to catch on then, as one hand came to run gently over Steve's chest. The breath on his ear hitched and Tony shivered at the sound, fingertips agonizingly slow as they drew intricate designs all over Steve's skin. He hadn't even noticed Steve's hands at his hips, pulling down his jeans and boxers all in one go as he undressed Tony completely. 

Then Tony realized how incredibly turned on he was. But it suddenly became okay, because he could feel Steve's own arousal poking into his stomach and wow-- yeah that was more than okay. Tony tipped his head up, leaning back so he could find Steve's eyes. They made contact before fluttering closed. Lips brushed lips, dry and soft but quickly becoming slick. They slid together effortlessly, just lips and nothing else. It was heaven. Tony was aware of Steve's hands on his hips, aware of the one leaving, and then Steve leaning into his space before the water behind them shut off. Their kiss broke as Steve stepped forward, making the edge of the tub nudge against the back of Tony's thighs.

So they were doing this, then. Not what Tony was expecting, but this was good, this was okay, he could do this. He would do this.

Steve helped Tony in, laying him down and letting him get comfortable before climbing in himself, laying on top of the other boy. Tony would have shivered if he wasn't being sandwiched between very warm water and a very warm Steve Rogers. Tony wrapped his arms around Steve's waist, holding him tightly to him, Steve's arms outstretched on either side of Tony's head. Then Tony tipped his head to one side, keeping eye contact with Steve the whole time as he rubbed his lips against the one scar he knew was there.

It was the one he hadn't saved Steve from. Only he knew about it and it haunted him daily.

Tony closed his eyes when he saw tears well up in Steve's eyes for the second time today and pressed his lips firmer against the ugly mark. He wished he could erase it, take it off this beautiful body, heal him to perfection again. When Tony looked back at Steve he was watching him with such a look of adoration and fondness, the air caught in Tony's throat and he fought for a small moment to breathe, to think. 

"I'll never be alright." Steve whispered.

"I'll fix you."

Steve laughed, a sob escaping, "I'm a human, you can't fix me like you fix your robots, Tony."

Tony smiled smugly, hands trailing up Steve's torso, his neck, over his face, cooing as Steve closed his eyes for him, and then ran his wet hands through Steve's hair. He did this full stroke a few times until Steve's hair was considerably wet. There were in a bath after all. "Then I'll fix you like a human." 

Steve laughed again, but this time it was void of tears, "I'm sorry. About this. I didn't mean to-- I wanted to ask, I wanted to ask you properly."

"Ask me?"

Steve opened his eyes, one hand carding through Tony's hair as he stared intently at the boy under him. "To be mine. To save me," he took a breath, "You've been my one good thing since I lost my family, and having you closer... it's just. It's what I need. You're what I want."

Tony's eyes widened. He felt like jumping around, rocking back and forth, screaming, crying, pulling out his hair, dancing like a wild man, so on and so forth. He smiled. "Always."

Steve was suddenly kissing him, Tony receiving emotions that were all furious and happy and relieved. And there was tongue this time, that was always a plus.

When the kiss broke Tony whispered against those kiss-swollen bubblegum lips, "Don't hurt yourself anymore. I have you," he whispered, stroking Steve's back, "I've always had you. I'll help you, I'll save you. Let me help you." He was pleading and he couldn't stop, "Please, Steve."

He hadn't noticed the silent tears streaming down his loves face yet again and when he did his heart nearly stopped.

Steve dropped his head to Tony's shoulder, chin in the water, nose probably skimming the surface. He let out a quiet laugh, a softer sob, a gentle tremor that shook his body for a moment, "Yes," he whispered, voice ricocheting off the water, the walls, the air, right into Tony's heart, "Thank you."

Tony rubbed a hand up his back, resting it on the nape of his neck. He held him there for a long time as Steve cried and Tony tried his best not to. He was going to be strong for Steve, he was going to stop these urges from coming back.

He was going to save Steve from himself.

Again.

**Author's Note:**

> I like making them have baths together, okay?
> 
> Also I may or may not like making one or both have horrible problems, even at a young age. Okay, especially at a young age. It just speaks to me in ways I could never have imagined.
> 
> This story is weird and I feel okay admitting that.
> 
> Rated teen because mentions of cutting and nothing explicit, okay. (how do you rate omg what even)


End file.
